Writing a Letter of Recommendation for a Teacher Candidate

Whether you’re a mentor teacher who has been lucky enough to work with a teacher fresh out of college, a professor who works with teacher candidates, or another trusted individual, writing a letter of recommendation for a teacher candidate is a serious responsibility. You know that a well-written letter can increase the odds of your candidate getting a job or shatter them completely, so you want to be sure that it’s written as well as possible. A few tips for the process:

Make it as personal as possible. Like so many other recommendation letters, it’s easy to fall into the habit of writing a simple, generic letter that could apply to anyone. Far better is a letter written specifically about the candidate. What gifts do they have that you’ve observed? What characteristics set them apart as a teacher? Those are the things that you should include in your letter, preferably alongside a specific recommendation.

Talk about the experience you know the candidate has. Where did you meet the candidate? What did you do together? Often, that experience sets the candidate apart from the crowd in some way, so be sure that you mention the ways they’ve worked with children and students and how that work has affected your opinion of their capability as a teacher. Often, mentioning where you met the teacher candidate will help you increase your ideas about their positive qualities, because it will put you in the mindset you’re in when you’re working with them.

Be honest. While it’s always nice to write a letter that sings the praises of your chosen candidate, there’s no sense in saying something that you don’t mean. Instead, keep it real, honest, and genuine. You don’t have to mention their bad qualities, but you don’t want to say that a candidate whose desk always looks like a war zone is “highly organized,” either. Instead, find qualities specific to your chosen candidate to focus on.

Keep it short. A letter of recommendation should only be about a page long, on official letterhead. You don’t need to go on and on to make your point, especially if you’re talking about a highly-qualified candidate who is extremely knowledgeable about their chosen field. Instead, make a brief mention of their best qualities, give them a rousing recommendation for any career that they might choose, and let that be a sufficient recommendation.

Be timely. One of the best things you can do for an aspiring teacher candidate is submit your letter on time so that it arrives at its destination when it’s needed. A late letter often doesn’t do them any good, nor does a letter that never arrives at its destination. If you agree to write that letter, sit down as soon as possible and get it done and in the mail to help maximize the chances that you’ll benefit your candidate.

Congratulations on being trusted with the responsibility for writing a letter of recommendation for a future teacher! That person has the power to shape minds for many years to come, and your letter might just help them on the way to that journey.